Society Conducts a Plaque and Grave Marker Ceremony May

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1 Society Conducts a Plaque and Grave Marker Ceremony May The Society of the War of 1812 in the Commonwealth of Virginia in conjunction with the James Monroe Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution conducted a plaque and grave marker unveiling ceremony in the Hungerford Griffith cemetery in Leedstown, Westmoreland County, Virginia on May Honored were four Revolutionary War patriots and three War of 1812 veterans with individual grave markers and a plaque mounted on the cemetery entrance gate with their names. The program, photographs taken, and information about the patriots and the area appear below. First the area: Leedstown was in earlier days an Indian home site visited by Captain John Smith in 1608 and before the Revolutionary War period a thriving port on the Rappahannock River. An important meeting there of landowners occurred 250 years ago in April 1766, Today it consists of only a few houses. The photos show two historical road signs and the cemetery which are all located near the river there. Below photo is of the historic Hungerford-Griffith cemetery where the ceremony was conducted that has at least one burial there of a lady who died in 1691

2 The program of four pages follow

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5 The above shows the unveiled plaque mounted on the cemetery gate. Below is a write-up about the individuals honored

6 VETERAN AND PATRIOT BURIALS IN THIS HISTORIC HUNGERFORD GRIFFITH CEMETERY John Pratt Hungerford (02 Jan Dec 1833): He served as a Captain in the Revolutionary War in 1799 and 1780 in a Virginia State Regiment. After the war he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from1797-to 1801, the Virginia Senate from 1801 to 1809, and the 12th U.S. Congress from 1811 to As a Brigadier General of the 14 th Virginia Militia Brigade during the War of 1812, he defended the Northern Neck from repeated British raids in the summer of He also commanded the Virginia militia stationed below Alexandria in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy British naval ships descending the Potomac. He applied 01 Oct 1832 for a pension for his service and received it one year before he died at his plantation, Twiford on December 21, He was the son of Thomas Hungerford and Anne Washington, daughter of John Washington and Katherine Washington. Thomas Hungerford ( ): He served in the rank of First Lieutenant in the Third Virginia Regiment, Virginia Line in 1779 and 1780 during the Revolutionary War. He received a Bounty Land Warrant # , 26 May 1789 for his service. He married in 1780, Anne Washington and was the son of Thomas Hungerford and Annie Birkett Pratt. Anne Brickett Pratt (26 Oct May 1800): was a patriot as she provided five men to ferry cattle to the militia camp across the Rappahannock River and pasturage for herd of 80 cattle for three days plus she furnished a beef and two bushels of corn. She was the wife of Thomas Hungerford, ( Apr 1772) and the daughter of John Pratt and Margaret Birkett. William Kendall ( ): He served in the rank of private in the 5 th Virginia Regiment and Clark s Illinois Regiment during the Revolutionary War. He received a bounty land warrant for his service. He married Margaret Peggy Spilman Henry Hungerford (15 Nov Apr 1866): He was a captain and commanded a light Infantry company in Westmoreland County s 111 th militia regiment during the War of After the war he achieved in the militia the rank of major. He married 12 Mar 1818, Amelia Spence ( ) and on 11 Sep 1834, a second wife, Mary Ann Spence. He was the son of Lieutenant Thomas Hungerford and Ann Washington. John Washington Hungerford( (25 Oct Nov 1850): He served as Aide-de-Camp to Brigadier General John Pratt Hungerford who commanded the Virginia s 14 th militia brigade during the War of After the war he became a magistrate in Westmoreland County. He married 19 Nov 1810, Sophia Muse, daughter of Walker Muse and for a second wife, Eleanor Anne Hungerford. He was the son of Lieutenant Thomas Hungerford and Anne Washington. Below the persons are shown getting ready to bring in the colors to be presented. They consist of the U.S. flag, the Star Spangled Banner flag, the Virginia flag, the Virginia War of 1812 society flag, the Society flag of the Order of Founders & Patriots of America, Richard Henry Lee SAR Chapter flag, the Colonel Fielding Lewis SAR Chapter flag, and a replica of the James City County 68 th Regiment flag from the War of 1812

7 Below Charles Belfield President of the James Monroe Chapter gives greetings

8 Below Mike Lyman, past president of the War of 1812 Society gives greetings Below Bill Schwetke of the VA Society SAR gives greetings

9 Below the guest speaker Stuart Butler talks about General John Pratt Hungerford and his family Below Hugh Markham and Bill Schwetke fire the musket salute They are pictured afterwards

10 Some photos of the wreath presenters. Below L/R is Bill Schwetke with Culpeper Minute Men wreath, John Hamilton with Colonel Fielding Lewis wreath; Doug Graves with OFPA wreath; Charles Belfield with James Monroe Chapter wreath; Stuart Butler with War of 1812 society wreath,

11 Below wreath presenters are L/R Carol Nelson with the Leedstown Resolutons DAR chapter wreath; Steve Walker with the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society wreath, (hidden behind flag see below) and Cat Schwetke with the Fauquier County Court House DAR Chapter wreath Below is Ann and Sara Cox with the CAR wreath, They were behind the flag in above photo Some gravestone photos with grave markers are shown below

12 Above is shown General John Pratt Hungerford s gravestone with SAR and 1812 markers Above is shown John Washington Hungerford s gravestone with War of 1812 marker. Below is Thomas Hungerford s gravestone with SAR marker

13 Below is Henry Hungerford s gravestone with War of 1812 marker Below is William Kendall s gravestone with SAR marker and information stone

14 Above is the plaque that was unveiled and mounted on the gate to the cemetery Below are the seven War of 1812 members that participated in the ceremony. They are R/L: members Dick Fickling and Hugh Markham; Councilor, Stuart Butler; Charles Belfield, Color Guard Chairman; Mike Lyman, Past President, members John Hamilton and Bernard Baker

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